The origin of method in British colonial planning

This study examines the role of Ramist "logical Method" in the growth of England's first colonial empire. England began to establish colonies at the same time that Pierre de la Ramee, or Peter Ramus, a professor of rhetoric in Paris, was advocating a broad program of educational reforms. Ramus called for a less complex rhetoric and logic, more emphasis on mathematics, and the development of vernacular literature, but died in the St. Bartholemew's Day massacre of French protestants in 1572. His logical reforms were translated into English in 1574.; During the same period key individuals in England had come to believe that colonization and trade abroad would provide the only long term solution to political, economic and strategic problems facing England. One such was John Dee, who recognized that improving the relatively primitive state of English practical knowledge would be necessary for this expansion to occur. Dee's essays on the practical arts used Ramist method, which also came to influence English legal writing and religious thought.; In the same decade Ramism, renewed interest in colonization, and a new literature of the practical arts thus appeared. This study traces the development of these themes in the century after 1570, sampling contemporary literature in order to shape and then to verify the hypothesis that Ramist method was pervasive within the practical arts, and in their application to colonial developments through the 17th century. Although a simple logical structure, Ramist method derived great utility from this simplicity. Usually treated as a passing episode in the history of logic and rhetoric, Ramism was also applied in an entirely different context in England. After the example provided by Dee, popular handbooks teaching land surveying, architecture, law, geography, history, and economy were all commonly written according to Ramist method. Widely understood, Ramist method made possible a common "mental architecture" by which these diverse topics could be linked. Over time, encyclopedic systems of knowledge became possible as more topics were treated according to method and theories of method expanded. At the same time, the method by which these practical topics were treated could provide a model for the planning of colonies.